Silent Movie Looking To Capture Chiswick On Film

Feature-length 'London Symphony' is crowdfunding its budget

A crowdfunding appeal has begun for a silent feature film showcasing London's architecture and culture, with Chiswick one of the locations earmarked for the movie. 'London Symphony' is described by director-editor Alex Barrett as a "poetic journey through the city of London".

Barrett called crowdfunding his attempt to shoot London Symphony "a chance for people to show the world that silent, 'non-commercial' cinema still matters." The crowd-funding campaign began only a week ago and runs until October 19th. Nearly one thousand pounds have already been raised, though a total of £6,000 is required to shoot the film.

The director has revealed to ChiswickW4.com that, funds and permission willing, he is eager to include a number of Chiswick landmarks in London Symphony. Barrett has said that he is "very keen" to include Chiswick House and Gardens, and is also looking into filming Hogarth's House and several of the churches in W4. Finally, Barrett and his crew would like to shoot around Chiswick Bridge, with particular focus on the rowers along the Thames.

The film is inspired by the tradition of the City Symphonies of the 1920s. The City Symphony film genre aimed to capture the life of a city set to a musical score, without a conventional narrative. Composer James McWilliam (The Patrol, Born of War, Exorcist Diaries) will be creating an original symphony for the film's soundtrack. The filmmakers plan to record the music with a live orchestra, but also have it performed live at special event screenings of the finished film.

The London Symphony project has created a sense of eager anticipation among silent movie aficionados. Respected film historian Kevin Brownlow has commented:

"In the early days of the cinema, there were several great City Symphonies – for Berlin, Paris, Rotterdam, but never for London. Alex Barrett is going to put that right, and his plans suggest a remarkable picture."

September 18, 2014